People

They’re Out There

They’re Out There

They’re Out There

Photographs by Walker Bankson

Chris Bledsoe says he first witnessed glowing orbs near the Cape Fear River in North Carolina in 2007. Since then, the former commercial pilot and builder, 65, has dedicated his life to connecting with these luminous “beings” through prayer.

Chris Bledsoe says he first witnessed glowing orbs near the Cape Fear River in North Carolina in 2007. Since then, the former commercial pilot and builder, 65, has dedicated his life to connecting with these luminous “beings” through prayer.

What do these beings look like, and when do they appear to you?

What do these beings look like, and when do they appear to you?

They’re very much, to me, spirits, these plasma orbs. That’s what I primarily interact with. But there are other things, like shadowy figures. They look like — if you can imagine the movie Predator, the creature in there that looked like it was translucent. You can see it, but you can’t see it.

These things walk around us every day, and you never know that they’re there. But every now and then, they can kind of turn their light up, and they begin to glow. Sometimes, they can look just like me and you. I think they can mimic anything they want to, from bugs to people.

Chris Bledsoe with a point of light on his forehead.

Chris Beldsoe at home.

What is it like to communicate with one of them?

What is it like to communicate with one of them?

It’s telepathic, but I’ve found that it’s communicating in more than one way. It will communicate in your dreams. If you see the light often, when you go to sleep, it’s like the light programs into your thoughts.

It’s like, if you’re married, your husband goes to call you. Suddenly, before that phone rings, you get that image of your husband. That’s telepathic because he’s thinking of you at the same time you picked up on that.

Why do you think these beings reach out to you?

Why do you think these beings reach out to you?

I wish I knew that. I’ve been asked that a million times. Maybe it’s because they knew they had a stubborn old guy that would never back down.

Chris Bledsoe with a point of light on his forehead.

What have the consequences of your interactions with them been?

What have the consequences of your interactions with them been?

I lost everything but my family; there’s six of us — my wife and four kids. The church turned on me in the community, and they called social services on me. They tried to take me out of my home. And at that point, I decided I had no more friends. All the friends I had, I didn’t care for anymore. And I’m going to prove them all wrong.

So I set out 20 years ago, and every night, I go out under the stars, drag my cameras out, and say, “Thank you for being there for me, and share, if you would, your presence with me. And while you’re at it, heal my friend’s mother, or cousin.” And I do that because people send requests, and I get back messages all the time.

Chris Bledsoe reclining outside beneath a beam of light.

“Our amount of knowledge of this thing is zero.”

How do you interpret these beings?

How do you interpret these beings?

When this thing happened, there was no book on it. There’s no vocabulary for this thing. So, it shocked me and it scared me. But then I began to readjust when the church came after me and told me I would deal with the devil — it was Satan.

I don’t go out and just do some haphazard meditation and ask it to come. I always say a prayer. And that way, I know that whatever it is we’re dealing with, at least we’re asking for the positive, light side of it.

Why do you think they’re interested in and capable of healing humans?

Why do you think they’re interested in and capable of healing humans?

The patterns are all the same, pretty much. People with near-death experiences, they see these beings. I’ve had two near-deaths. Or trauma — somebody’s mother dies or somebody’s father dies or husband dies, and all of a sudden, these people are calling me and saying, “I saw this light in my house, and it flew through the window, and it scared me to death.”

You can ask everybody in the room at a UFO conference, and they’ll all tell you, “15 years ago, 20 years ago, this light came.” And now, I can’t get it out of my head, and it’s always that way. That’s the main pattern of it all: trauma.

Chris Bledsoe seated on a bed, seen through a dark doorway.

Why is it important to acknowledge our doubt around things we do not understand?

Why is it important to acknowledge our doubt around things we do not understand?

I liken it to this: There’s this door that exists to the other side that we never knew was there. And all of a sudden, now, we have found the door. And the door’s cracked open a bit, and there’s light coming out of there, but it hasn’t opened completely. So, our amount of knowledge of this thing is zero. We’re writing the whole story from the very beginning. To label it all negative and dark and ugly — that doesn’t compute with science or any discussion that I can imagine. Nothing is all one way. So, I have room for both good and bad, negative and positive. I think both exist, 100 percent. So, that’s why I always go at it with the positive part in my thoughts and the prayer. ●